Half of professionals are using personal devices

Despite some businesses being hesitant to embrace the bring your own device (BYOD) trend and others actively avoiding it, recent research found that 50 percent of professionals are bringing their personal devices into the workplace anyway. According to a study performed by Virgin Media Business, about 50 percent of enterprises in the U.K. have had employee's mobile devices access their networks in 2012, with or without permission. In some cases, these uses were considered breaches of network security.

"Last year was clearly a bumpy road for companies introducing personal devices at work," Tony Grace, COO of Virgin Media Business, said in a statement. "That's natural enough as no one has so far been able to come up with the magic solution. CIOs shouldn't see this as a burden and in 2013 they can take the lessons learned and turn these personal devices into business enablers to really help drive the bottom line."

Ultimately, this movement toward the consumerization of IT should show IT decision makers across the globe that they need a BYOD solution to ensure security is maintained, in light of employee demand.

The risk that businesses perceive surrounding BYOD are specifically related to the security breaches that can arise from a business not having a specific strategy in place. By developing a reliable plan and investing in the right tools to ensure the secure and efficient use of personal devices in the workplace, a company can negate risks and ensure productive implementation of BYOD.

The best tools for the job for many companies will be an RDP client, such as Ericom's AccessNow. RDP-based access ensures that a company's data and enterprise apps are kept securely within its network, and that any employee lapses won't put overall network security at risk. Ultimately, implementing secure accessibility tools will eliminate the majority of security concerns. With these tools in place, any company can effectively approach BYOD.

No business wants to fall behind the competition in the areas of profits or technology. By embracing the best technology and approaching the latest trends with an open mind, any company can ensure success in the future and avoid the pitfalls of the market.

Industry news brought to you by Ericom Software, leaders in BYOD solutions.

Ericom®, Ericom Connect® and PowerTerm® are registered trademarks, and Ericom AccessNow™, Ericom Blaze™, Ericom Shield™ and Ericom AccessToGo™ are trademarks, of Ericom Software. All other brand and product names mentioned in this site are trademarks of their respective owners.